Different [A Superhero AU] - Book One

Chapter Eight - Third Party Recruitment

"Hurry hurry hurry, pull it off so we can see their faces!"

The bags over their heads get pulled off, making Matt and Ryan blink in the sudden flash of light. Several men stand around them, looking far too pleased with themselves.

"Welcome to the freak show!" Arin and Danny say at the same time, doing jazz hands and grinning. Ryan shuts his eyes to block out the light while Matt glances around, tugging at the ropes that hold his hands behind his back.

"Sorry about these two, they can be a bit overwhelming," another man says. "My name's Bob."

Ryan opens his eyes slowly, the two villains glancing at each other momentarily before looking back to the anti-heroes.

"Why are we here?" Ryan asks.

The tallest of the four anti-heroes steps forward, forcing the other three behind him. "We brought you here because we want you to join us." He grins. "I'm Wade, by the way."

Matt opens and closes his mouth several times before he actually manages to form a coherent sentence. "You want us to join you?"

"Yep," Danny chimes in.

"This city could use more anti-heroes," Arin adds.

"We're mutants!" Ryan exclaims, looking appalled. "Who wants a couple of mutants on their side?"

"Look, guys, this is a group of born-supers and mutants who either escaped the villains or decided to go against the flow and not join Curatrix." Bob sits down across from the chairs where Matt and Ryan sit. "Arin and Danny over here are twins who were born super, with the power to literally join and separate from each other. They were too mischievous for Curatrix and too powerful for average life. Boom. Now they're here. Wade was mutated, he can regenerate his limbs. He managed to evade capture and join us. I, on the other hand, was born with a mind that was too advanced for my age. I knew that since I don't have the physical capabilities needed to be one of the heroes out on the field that I would get stuck behind a desk. I didn't want that, so I went my own way." He pauses, his eyes almost piercing the two villains. "What do you say?

Matt and Ryan glance at each other before staring at the ground, fidgeting in their chairs. Ryan sighs and slumps deeper into his chair.

"It sounds appealing. Really appealing. But, we could get killed for this. They could find us... and... and... KILL us," he says, his voice shaking a little. "I don't wanna die."

Wade places a hand on his shoulder, giving him a small smile. "You would be free. We have a man with serious brains here who knows how to hide a couple of rogues. Honestly, it's safe to join us."

Ryan looks at Matt and shrugs. Matt stares back, the two having a silent argument with their eyes.

Finally, Ryan bites his lip. "We'll join you."

Arin and Danny cheer and high five, massive grins spreading across their faces. Matt leans his head back, letting out a long sigh.

"If we free you, you have to behave. If you try to run off, we will catch you before you manage to find the doors," Bob says. He gives them a small smile and cuts the ropes around their hands.  Matt's eyes widen as though he's just choked on air. 

As soon as the ropes fall away, Ryan rubs his wrists and stands. "This might take us a while to get used to."

"It was kind of a quick decision," Matt adds.

Arin shrugs. "Honestly, we're a laid back group. Being with us will be fun."

The others nod in agreement. Wade places a hand on each of their shoulders and leads them away. As soon as they step out of the light, Matt and Ryan realize they were sitting at a kitchen table and that it wasn't an interrogation room at all.

"Did we make the right choice?" Matt whispers.

Ryan grins a little. "I think so."